29 July 2025 — The Forestry Commission (FC) has expressed strong condemnation over the forcible closure of its district offices at Bekwai, Nkawie, and Offinso on Monday, 28 July 2025. The incident involved around twenty masked and heavily armed men claiming to be National Security operatives, who locked the offices with their padlocks and took away the keys.
In a statement, the Commission described the act as an unlawful and blatant attempt to intimidate its staff and disrupt public service, calling it “an affront to the rule of law and to the constitutional mandate of the Forestry Commission.”
The FC noted the subsequent clarification by the Ashanti Regional National Security Coordinator, Captain (Rtd.) Kwame Jabari, who in interviews with media outlets including 3News and Asaase Radio, disassociated his office from the incident and described the perpetrators as imposters. The Commission welcomed this statement and called for full cooperation from legitimate security agencies to identify and bring the culprits to justice.
The Forestry Commission further urged the relevant authorities to:
- Launch a swift and impartial investigation into the illegal closure of the district offices.
- Identify, arrest, and prosecute all individuals involved.
- Determine any possible links between this incident and the recent arrest of illegal miners by the FC Rapid Response Teams in the Oda Forest Reserve.
In response to the heightened risk to staff, the Commission requested the Ghana Police Service to immediately deploy uniformed officers to protect FC offices and checkpoints across the Ashanti Region. District Managers have been instructed to fully cooperate with the police and maintain detailed incident logs.
Reassuring staff and the public, the Forestry Commission emphasised its continued commitment to safeguarding Ghana’s forests and wildlife resources, and to fighting illegal mining (galamsey) in support of the government’s efforts to restore degraded lands.
The statement concluded by urging staff and stakeholders to remain calm, vigilant, and dedicated to their duties while management works alongside law enforcement to restore normal operations. The public is also encouraged to report any suspicious activity around FC offices to the nearest police station or contact the FC hotlines 0302 401210 /0302 401227/0302 401216
By Peter Quao Adattor
